Michelle Heaton is a singer who first found fame on 2001 series, Popstars

Who is Michelle Heaton?

Michelle Heaton is a 39-year-old singer who was born in Gateshead in 1979.

She rose to fame on the 2001 series Popstars, which sought to form a modern pop group, and while Michelle wasn’t part of the winning band, Hear’Say, she joined forces with four other finalists to form Liberty X.

The group enjoyed seven top 10 singles from 2001 until 2005 including Just A Little and Got To Have Your Love.

Michelle was part of Liberty X – which was formed out of the runners-up on Popstars

What has Michelle done since Liberty X split?

Michelle has remained a media favourite since Liberty X split in 2007, appearing on series six of Celebrity Big Brother in 2009 and becoming the third person to be evicted.

She also appeared on ITV series The Big Reunion in 2013, where she reunited with her bandmates to perform a series of gigs with other former pop bands.

The singer also performed with girl group Atomic Kitten for their international commitments, and spent time with the band in Australia in 2017.

Michelle has had a widely documented battle with her health since her time in the band, having been diagnosed with the mutated BRCA2 gene in 2012.

The star discovered she had an 80 per cent chance of developing breast cancer and 30 per cent chance of developing ovarian cancer, so opted to have a double mastectomy and breast reconstructive surgery.

In 2015 she underwent a complete hysterectomy and oophorectomy to reduce her risk of developing ovarian cancer.

She bravely revealed her surgery scars for the first time during an appearance on Loose Women, and has spoken poignantly of her thanks for the NHS heroes who saved her life.

In 2018, Michelle signed up to be part of the female line-up on The Real Full Monty.